About this project

$27,059

169

If you did not get a chance to pledge on Kickstarter, but still want to help out - you can make a pledge on HopeMob until March 23rd! Thank you everyone for making this a successful project! WOW!

*[Please excuse the confusion over the pledge confirmation emails. Kickstarter & Amazon somehow accidentally merged my husband's account and mine... so your confirmation says "Portland Bicycle Trailer Company" - we are working on getting it switched, but - in the meantime - wanted to assure you that your contribution is going to Lead Safe America, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, Tax ID 45-1262978, & we will send you a separate confirmation note for your taxes with the correct information! Thanks everyone!]

------------------- the story -----------------------MisLead tells the stories of eighteen children in four families across America who have been poisoned by lead in their homes.

In December 2011 the cameras began rolling on the documentary feature film now known as Mislead: America's Secret Epidemic—and a scant 13 months later, with over 200 hours of footage of riveting interviews with experts, advocates, insiders and celebrities; we have captured the amazing stories of four colorful and vastly different families—all filmed in the unique and historic, culturally diverse communities across this rich and beautiful country in which their children were poisoned.

This film is also the story of my personal journey as I drove more than 5,500 miles around our country in my Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon with my four sons (two who have significant impacts from early childhood lead poisoning), in search of answers as to why my kids were poisoned—and why every day in America children continue to be poisoned by lead, even now, in 2013.

In addition to my family (including some poignant interviews with my own children), we follow Laura and her two children in New Orleans, Uconda and her eight children in Rochester, Kim and her three children in a suburb of Boston, and Claudia and her son in Portland, Oregon. Each family has at least one child who was poisoned by lead in their homes, and each has a unique story and different perspective about how this incredibly potent elemental neurotoxin—that lurks in plain sight all around us—has affected their lives.

The film shares these powerful and moving stories, in search of answers.

We now have a rough-cut that is currently 1 hour and 44 minutes long and this Kickstarter project has been designed to cover our [minimum] post-production costs.

------------------- history -----------------------More than 500 individuals and businesses have contributed time,
expertise, hard-work and cash to bring this project to it's current
post-production phase. We have had preliminary conversations with
several distribution companies and others in the film industry. This
month we are doing additional narrative editing, adding more music,
titles and animation and tightening up the film's flow. When we are done
with that we will have sound and picture finishing to tackle.

While we have set our goal modestly at $27,000, as that will allow us
to finish this film to a level that will meet the standards for
productive distribution talks, we can definitely put to good use
whatever resources we raise beyond that. As much
as $135,000 in backer contributions would make this film sparkle and
shine, and hold it's held up proudly amidst the many much-larger-budget documentaries competing for theater, TV & computer screens and retail shelf space in today's U.S. marketplace. ;-)

To date we have raised (and
utilized) about $300,000 in resources to make this film; including just about
$140,000 in cash: contributions, loans & investments (and about
$160,000 in donated in-kind services, time, materials, equipment and
other resources.)

------------------- the future / our goals -----------------------In the meantime, we have submitted a rough cut of the film to 18 national and international film festivals and have our fingers crossed that at least one of these prestigious festivals will see our diamond-in-the-rough for what it is. [Of course, it may turn out that we will in fact really need to completely wrap and polish the film up before we'll be accepted by a festival, but it's still too early to just accept that advice as "Truth"—and so for now, we are still hopeful about our first round of submissions!]

To finish this important film we need your help. Any donation you can pledge will make a real difference in reaching our goal (and since the film is a project of a non-profit, backer pledges are tax-deductible)!

Risks and challenges

Since the film is the project of a nonprofit Foundation, we have accountability to each of our Kickstarter backers to make sure they get their rewards. Any rewards with copies of the film or other tangible items will, of course, be contingent on the release date of the film, our acceptance into festivals, and completion of artwork. Other than that, we have specifically created rewards that we can get to you with little to no delay because we have some experience with this from our initial Kickstarter project (when we launched the film on Kickstarter last year).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $12 or more
About $12

A pair of commemorative buttons: Lead Safe America and America's Secret Epidemic! Our eternal gratitude, plus a thank you tweet on Twitter and thank you post on Facebook. You will also be added to our mailing list and get updates about the progress of the film.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

Thank You post-card signed by Tamara and at least 3 others featured in the film! Our eternal gratitude, plus a thank you tweet on Twitter and thank you post on Facebook. You will also be added to our mailing list and get updates about the progress of the film. (& a tax-deduction!)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

A limited edition copy of the film's DVD. (Delivery date is an estimate and will be contingent on the completion of the film.) Our eternal gratitude, plus a thank you tweet on Twitter and thank you post on Facebook. You will also be added to our mailing list and get updates about the progress of the film.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

SPECIAL THANKS: A "Special Thanks" credit in the on-screen end-credits of the film (& a tax-deduction!) Our eternal gratitude, plus a thank you tweet on Twitter and thank you post on Facebook. You will also be added to our mailing list and get updates about the progress of the film.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

ASSISTANT PRODUCER: A Lifetime listing on the LeadSafeAmerica.org lifetime sponsors page, a one-year listing on the MisleadMovie.com website sponsor page and an "Assistant Producer" IMDB credit and in the on-screen end-credits in the film (& a tax-deduction!)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,750 or more
About $2,750

PRIVATE PREVIEW SCREENING: We will bring a screening of the rough-cut of the film to your community (in March or April of 2013.) You will be among the first to see the film and you will also have the opportunity to give input to help us improve and perfect the final product. This contribution covers Tamara's airfare/ ground transportation and presentation costs. She will introduce the film and guide a post-viewing conversation about the film. Up to 100 guests may attend and this must be billed as a "private focus-group viewing of the rough-cut of the film." Tickets may not be sold to this event, although you may have sponsors cover the cost for you (for example if you are with a public agency, you could have local businesses chip in to cover the $2,750 cost for your agency.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: A Lifetime listing on the LeadSafeAmerica.org lifetime sponsors page, acknowledgement on MisleadMovie.com and an "Associate Producer" IMDB credit and on-screen "ASSOCIATE PRODUCER" credit in the end-credits of the film (& a tax-deduction!)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: A Lifetime listing on the LeadSafeAmerica.org lifetime sponsors page, acknowledgement on MisleadMovie.com and an "EXECUTIVE PRODUCER" credit on IMDB and on-screen in the end-credits of the film (& a tax-deduction!) [Please contact Tamara if you are interested in a OPENING screen credit of Executive Producer - for a donation of $25,000 or more, or corporate logo-recognition in the opening credits of the film for a contribution of $50,000 or more... Kickstarter only lets us go up to $10,000!]